http://www.ktvu.com/news/south-bay-e...a-quadriplegic
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - A true "Christmas miracle." That's how some people describe the extraordinary case of Dr. Matthew Wetschler. The Valley Medical Center emergency room doctor had a surfing accident in November that left him a quadriplegic. Days before Christmas, Wetschler is walking and talking about his ordeal.
Sometimes smallest steps traverse the greatest distances. In a San Jose rehab facility, Doctor Matt Wetschler is walking toward his future.
"Those first steps were joyful, and I don't say that word often, but it was a deep feeling of joy," said Wetschler, as he sat in front of a bank of television and newspaper cameras.
His new found joy comes after a colossal spinal cord injury that turned this Valley Medical Center emergency room doctor into a patient at the hospital...
...neurosurgeons performed "ultra-early" surgery, fusing metal rods to five vertebrae, while at the same time micromanaging blood flow to his spinal cord. The theoretical approach proved successful, and is now a template for treating spinal cord injuries.
"We've been able to disprove the notion that spinal cord injuries are permanent and irreversible. Matt is yet another example of somebody who shouldn't have recovered, but he did," said Dr. Dahall.
Click on the link above for the entire story.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - A true "Christmas miracle." That's how some people describe the extraordinary case of Dr. Matthew Wetschler. The Valley Medical Center emergency room doctor had a surfing accident in November that left him a quadriplegic. Days before Christmas, Wetschler is walking and talking about his ordeal.
Sometimes smallest steps traverse the greatest distances. In a San Jose rehab facility, Doctor Matt Wetschler is walking toward his future.
"Those first steps were joyful, and I don't say that word often, but it was a deep feeling of joy," said Wetschler, as he sat in front of a bank of television and newspaper cameras.
His new found joy comes after a colossal spinal cord injury that turned this Valley Medical Center emergency room doctor into a patient at the hospital...
...neurosurgeons performed "ultra-early" surgery, fusing metal rods to five vertebrae, while at the same time micromanaging blood flow to his spinal cord. The theoretical approach proved successful, and is now a template for treating spinal cord injuries.
"We've been able to disprove the notion that spinal cord injuries are permanent and irreversible. Matt is yet another example of somebody who shouldn't have recovered, but he did," said Dr. Dahall.
Click on the link above for the entire story.
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